This Day In Sports History (November 27th) — Fred Lynn

It was on this day in 1975 that Red Sox center fielder Fred Lynn won the AL MVP award. In doing so, he became the first rookie in Major League history to earn MVP and Rookie of the Year honors in the same season.

Lynn’s rookie year was one of the most impressive seasons of his 17-year career, as he recorded a .331 batting average to go along with 175 hits, 47 doubles, 103 runs, 105 RBIs and 21 home runs. He also led the Majors in slugging percentage (.566) and OPS (.967). Those statistics would help Lynn earn 23.5 of a possible 24 first-place votes in the AL Rookie of the Year voting, as well as 22 of a possible 24 votes in the AL MVP voting.

Lynn’s feat was nearly duplicated by Mike Trout of the Los Angeles Angels in 2012, as he was a unanimous choice for AL Rookie of the Year, but finished second in AL MVP voting behind the American League’s Triple Crown winner, Miguel Cabrera.